DCA calculator
S&P 500 (Total Return) DCA calculator
Backtest a recurring S&P 500 buy, dividends reinvested.
This is the same S&P 500 index as the standard price-index calculator, but with dividends reinvested — the return an index fund or ETF tracking the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested would actually have delivered.
Over long periods the gap between the price index and the total-return index compounds into a meaningfully larger number, since dividends have historically made up a real share of the S&P 500's total return.
Dollar cost averaging
$199,941.63
$167,841.63 · +522.87%- Invested
- $32,100.00
- Annualised (XIRR)
- +11.72%
- Avg cost / unit
- $2,755.64
- Units held
- 11.6488
- Max drawdown
- -47.62%
Lump sum on day one
$278,900.33
$246,800.33 · +768.85%- Invested
- $32,100.00
- Annualised (XIRR)
- +8.42%
- Avg cost / unit
- $1,975.50
- Units held
- 16.2491
- Max drawdown
- -55.25%
Perfect timing
HindsightYour whole $32,100.00 put in on the single cheapest day of the period.
$503,148.39
+$303,206.76 vs your DCA- Bought everything on
- 2009-03-09
- At a price of
- $1,095.04
- Return
- +1467.44%
Nobody can pick the exact bottom — this is the best case, not a plan you could follow.
Value over time · 392 daily points
| Date | Invested | Units | Value | P/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-12-22 | $100.00 | 0.0506201 | $100.00 | $0.00 |
| 2001-02-19 | $1,400.00 | 0.716114 | $1,299.19 | -$100.81 |
| 2002-04-20 | $2,800.00 | 1.58127 | $2,519.07 | -$280.93 |
| 2003-06-19 | $4,200.00 | 2.64396 | $3,802.25 | -$397.75 |
| 2004-08-17 | $5,600.00 | 3.5417 | $5,651.03 | $51.03 |
| 2005-10-16 | $7,000.00 | 4.34314 | $7,761.23 | $761.23 |
| 2006-12-15 | $8,400.00 | 5.05922 | $11,120.52 | $2,720.52 |
| 2008-02-13 | $9,800.00 | 5.67534 | $12,217.64 | $2,417.64 |
| 2009-04-13 | $11,200.00 | 6.51365 | $9,074.36 | -$2,125.64 |
| 2010-06-12 | $12,600.00 | 7.33848 | $13,321.26 | $721.26 |
| 2011-08-11 | $14,000.00 | 8.01964 | $16,000.31 | $2,000.31 |
| 2012-10-09 | $15,400.00 | 8.64652 | $21,764.50 | $6,364.50 |
| 2013-12-08 | $16,800.00 | 9.14778 | $29,583.82 | $12,783.82 |
| 2015-02-06 | $18,200.00 | 9.54619 | $35,991.06 | $17,791.06 |
| 2016-04-06 | $19,600.00 | 9.91455 | $38,551.83 | $18,951.83 |
| 2017-06-05 | $21,000.00 | 10.2464 | $48,127.21 | $27,127.21 |
| 2018-08-04 | $22,400.00 | 10.5198 | $58,897.39 | $36,497.39 |
| 2019-10-03 | $23,800.00 | 10.7696 | $63,291.50 | $39,491.50 |
| 2020-12-01 | $25,200.00 | 10.9895 | $83,041.94 | $57,841.94 |
| 2022-01-30 | $26,600.00 | 11.1489 | $103,619.93 | $77,019.93 |
| 2023-03-31 | $28,000.00 | 11.3143 | $99,465.39 | $71,465.39 |
| 2024-05-29 | $29,400.00 | 11.455 | $131,382.16 | $101,982.16 |
| 2025-07-28 | $30,800.00 | 11.5651 | $163,421.79 | $132,621.79 |
| 2026-09-13 | $32,100.00 | 11.6488 | $199,941.63 | $167,841.63 |
Why DCA into S&P 500 (Total Return)?
Because dividends are reinvested continuously in this series, the compounding effect grows with the length of the backtest — the difference is small over a year or two but becomes substantial over a decade or more, which is worth seeing directly rather than mentally estimating.
Frequently asked questions
- What is dollar-cost averaging into the S&P 500?
- Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) means investing a fixed amount into the S&P 500 on a regular schedule — weekly, biweekly, monthly — regardless of the price that day, rather than trying to time a single entry point. Some buys land at a local high, some at a local low, and the average cost per unit smooths out over the whole period.
- How is this different from the regular S&P 500 calculator?
- Same 500 companies, same index — this version assumes every dividend paid along the way was reinvested immediately, which is what the plain price-index calculator excludes.
- Does this include exchange fees?
- By default no — it's a 0% baseline so you can see the raw price effect first. Use the Exchange fee dropdown to add a percentage (a few common presets, or your own) and/or a flat fee per buy under Advanced options, and the DCA total updates to include them.